The Quest

My beloved (minus Michael Porter) Kentucky Wildcats are giving up 20 point leads and possession of the basketball in the N(o one cares) I(ncredibly sad) T(ournament) for underachievers. I thought long and hard about not filling out a bracket and even skipping the majority of the tournament games, as well. As those of you who join my in a bracket pool have learned, I changed my mind.

In order to enjoy the best sports season of the year, I would be forced to find a new team worth rooting for in March. It will be a team with a limited purpose, purely for Marches when Kentucky isn't relevant nationally. The hope is for it to be a one time pairing.

I made some conservative picks. Ultimately, I like Louisville, Pitt, and UNC to all make the Final Four. The only one seed I don't particularly like is the Dyson-less, money-hoarding UCONN Huskies. Thabeet doesn't get my blood moving. UCONN will ultimately rely on Adrien, Robinson, Price, and Walker. A good, but not great group. To add some slight intrigue in the West, I'm not a fan of Memphis, either. For the record, I'm never a fan of any team that boasts a road win against Tulsa as their best conference win. While filling, it appeared to me that the Wild West would be the region I would find the team deserving of my March support.

At this point, I'm looking at Mizzou, Washington, and Purdue as possible sleepers emerging from the West. Lorenzo Romar, Mike Anderson, and Matt Painter are all three respectable coaches who are making a case for major openings at the conclusion of the season. The difference is Painter is a Purdue alum, and I don't see him leaving unless it's for a big-time program with the ability to pay upwards of 2 to 3 million a year. Painter gets the advantage.

Mizzou plays at a blinding pace. Washington has speed in Isaiah Thomas, but ultimately tends to play in a half court type game to utilize Brockman. Purdue is from the Big Ten. Mizzou gets the nod in style of play.

I currently live an hour from Mizzou's campus. Purdue is a couple hours from my hometown. I think Washington is in a different country. Purdue gets the nod because I have no allegiance surrounding my current address.

Sidebar: I wanted the analysis of why I chose the new team to be more in-depth but I'm pressed for time and the tournament just started. Sorry, Chris.

After much analysis, debate, and wet-dreaming I narrowed it down to one creamy team:
My team for the tournament, Chris, is

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PURDUE!

Let me explain.

Sidebar: As I'm writing this, Purdue is up 12 on Northern Iowa. It could be more, but Hummel is shooting left-handed.

I like Matt Painter a lot. I think he is one hell of a coach. They have some young talent that should be there for the next two years, just in case I have to come running back next March. E'Twaun Moore and Robbie Hummel are both sophomores who are extremely well-rounded players. Hummel leads the team in rebounding from the small forward position. Chris Kramer is a stud that can lock up almost anyone in the country. He is hard-nosed, played with a face-mask, and dishes out 2.5 assists a game. JaJuan Johnson is really coming along nicely towards the end of the year. He's developed nice hands and a nice 12 foot jumper that kills the weak spot in zones. Nemanja Calasan can get hot from behind the arc and provides offensive spark off the bench. As a whole, Purdue plays great team defense, holding opponents under 60 points a game. I realize they are playing in the offensively-challenged Big Ten, but it's still an accomplishment.

I've got them in the Final Four, knocking out UCONN and Memphis along the way. If they make it, my bracket sets up nicely. I see them having trouble with teams that press as well as Louisville, and accordingly, have them being knocked out by UofL. However, Purdue is poised to make some noise in this tournament and have a group of guys, a coach, and a program that should be easy to get behind. Let's go Boilermakers! I pray I'm not a curse.

Upsets To Stay Away From

Arizona over Utah - Generally, it's not a great idea to pick the last team to receive an at-large bid and is in the midst of an absolutely horrible stretch, winning one of six. They have three talented scores in Budinger, Hill, and Wise, but nothing else. In fact, it wouldn't surprise me if these were the only three guys who played. It would explain quite a bit. Utah is senior laden team that guards really well.

Utah State over Marquette - Without Dominic James at point Marquette has won one of six. But take a look at the losses - UConn by 11, UofL by 4, Pitt by 15, Syracuse by 7 in overtime, and Villanova by one. They aren't the same team as they were in the middle of the season, but they should still be able to take care of business against Utah State. Look for Jerel McNeal to have a big time game. It will be his best opportunity.

Wisconson Buzzcuts over Florida State - The Buzzcuts, as Club Trillion founder Mark Titus refers to them, have not been a typical Bo Ryan team this year. Florida St. seems to be playing their best basketball of the season. Wow, that felt odd saying in March. Florida St. appears to be taking halfway decent shots and the medusa head of Toney Douglas and his comrades is a difficult task for any team to guard.

Minnesota over Texas - Quite possibly the two most antithetical teams in the tournament playing each other in the first round. Expect a Texas romp in this one. Minnesota has had trouble dealing with athletically superior teams all year. Minnesota struggles to find scoring, regardless of the opponent. Texas can only beat itself in this game.

The Contenders (11 of Them)

Tier 1

Louisville

Why They Can Win It All: One of the deepest (and healthiest) teams in America. Four Cardinals – Edgar Sosa, Jerry Smith, Andre McGee, and Preston Knowles – get significant run in the backcourt. Terrence Williams, Earl Clark, Samardo Samuels, and Terrence Jennings form a talented frontcourt rotation. And Rick Pitino isn't afraid to go deeper into bench if his top eight aren't producing. As the Cards' pressing defense is their biggest strength, this depth is integral to their success.

Why They Can't: While they have a pair of point forwards in T-Will and E5 (two of the most creative nicknames ever), the Cards' lack of a true point guard will be their ultimate demise. Sosa is a two-guard in a point guard's body, and McGee and Knowles are ineffective on the offensive end at best. History tells us that past champions have almost always featured a capable point guard that protects the ball and dictates pace. Oh, and the Cards also have trouble shooting free throws.

North Carolina

Why They Can Win It All: The Tar Heels are the most talented team in the country. Even with their injury woes, UNC is adequately deep and starts four All-American-type talents (Ty Lawson, Wayne Ellington, Danny Green, and Tyler Hansbrough). Deon Thompson isn't too bad either. It will be hard for anyone to match Roy Williams' squad in terms of sheer firepower.

Why They Can't: Ty Lawson's toe and a lack of defensive intensity. Ol' Roy's squad can make a deep run without Lawson, but there's no way they win a championship without him. The Tar Heels are much better defenders than they are given credit for, but the lapses in concentration on the defensive end are worrisome. The tournament is not the time to suddenly develop the intestinal fortitude to play forty minutes of defense.

Pittsburgh

Why They Can Win It All: The Panthers are the most physical team in college basketball. They beat up their opponents with rough play in the post and lockdown defense on the perimeter. Every single member of Jamie Dixon's squad defends, and, with the exception of their recent loss to Providence, Pitt plays with purpose every night. They've been in tourney mode all season.

Why They Can't: When DeJuan Blair gets in foul trouble, this team really struggles. And with Pitt's physical style of play, there's a good chance Blair finds himself on the bench at some point. This may seem like digging for a reason to discount Pitt's chances, but Blair sets the tone for the Panthers and the team's identity is inextricably tied to his play. When Blair is out, this team looks lost.

Tier 2

Connecticut

Why They Can Win It All: Their frontline of Hasheem Thabeet, Jeff Adrien, and Stanley Robinson is second to none. Adrien is an absolute warrior. Robinson, the Huskies' 6-9 small forward is a matchup nightmare. And Thabeet is the most dominating force in college basketball. (Yes, even more dominating than Blake Griffin.) The tournament is all about quick turnaround in terms of preparation. And while everyone tweaks their defensive strategies to counter the opposition's offensive strengths, Thabeet requires opponents to change their offensive game plan – not an easy task this late in the season.

Why They Can't: The bench (or more accurately, the lack thereof). With Jerome Dyson's injury, the Huskies are limited to a seven-man rotation. I'm a firm believer that even an eight-man rotation is dangerously thin for a team trying to win six straight games in quick succession. Moreover, Dyson was the Huskies most dangerous perimeter scoring threat. Freshman Kemba Walker and senior Craig Austrie are going to have to increase their offensive output.

Michigan State

Why They Can Win It All: Rebounding and defense. It's become almost cliché to talk about the toughness of a Tom Izzo-coached team, but 08-09 Spartans fit the description. And while no one expects the champion to emerge from the Big Ten – a conference where the basketball is looking less and less like the game the rest of the country is playing – the Spartans, unlike their conference foes, actually have the firepower to light up the scoreboard.

Why They Can't: The Spartans lack a dynamic scorer capable of creating his own shot. Kalin Lucas is a facilitator, but he's not going to drop 20 on the opposition. Raymar Morgan has been disappointing and isn't that effective with the ball in his hands. Based on senior Goran Suton's numbers, his offensive development hit a ceiling during his junior campaign. And while Durrell Summers may eventually become that player for Tom Izzo, he's not nearly consistent enough to fill that void at this point in his career.

Oklahoma

Why They Can Win It All: Perhaps the country's most complete starting five. The Sooners' lineup features the best player in the country and arguably the top freshman. And, importantly, the two compliment one another. The attention Blake Griffin attracts in the post allows super-frosh Willie Warren to operate more freely on the perimeter. Austin Johnson, the Sooners' 6-4 senior point guard, is a crafty playmaker who excels at finding his teammates in scoring position without dominating the ball. Tyler Griffin is a banger and an excellent interior passer. And Tony Crocker shoots the three and wears a long-sleeved shirt under his jersey.

Why They Can't: A very inexperienced bench. Jeff Capel has done a decent job of patiently expanding his rotation, but it would be a stretch to call the Sooner reserves tournament-ready. Cade Davis is a solid contributer, but Juan Pattillo is the only impact player Capel can turn to in a pinch.

Wake Forest

Why They Can Win It All: No team has more upside than the Demon Deacons. NBA-caliber athletes litter Dino Guadio's roster. In fact, Jeff Teague, Al-Farouq Aminu, and James Johnson give Wake three lottery-caliber talents. L.D. Williams and Chas McFarland, while not as gifted as the headliners, also create matchup problems with their size and strength.

Why They Can't: It is highly unusual that a team that didn't even get invited to the dance one year leaves belle of the ball the next. Guadio's top three players are sophomores or younger, and that rarely equates to postseason success.

Tier 3

Clemson

Why They Can Win It All: Perhaps no squad in America epitomizes the concept of team more than the Clemson Tigers. These guys seem to genuinely enjoy playing with one another, and I don't think there's a destructive ego among them. Moreover, each Tiger has a clearly defined role. Power forward Trevor Booker is the first option on offense (not to mention one of the best defenders in the ACC). And I must say – it's refreshing to a see a team that voluntarily gets its big man touches on almost every possession. No arm-twisting. No barking from the sideline. No ill-advised threes while the post talent has his man pinned on the block. Rather, the Tigers look to the post like it's second nature. Swingman K.C. Rivers guards the opponent's best perimeter scorer and slashes to the hoop. Terrence Oglesby provides the long-range game. Raymond Sykes is the Tigers' hype man. He's active on the glass and cleans up his teammates' misfires. Demontez Stitt is the glue guy who does the dirty work.

Why They Can't: This team truly has reached its potential. Clemson is a good team but not a great one. They lack a dynamic scorer, and they don't have a point guard that can impose his will on the pace of the game. Just not enough talent to do much damage in March.

Duke

Why They Can Win It All: The Blue Devils are extremely talented and very deep at the 1-4 spots with Nolan Smith, Greg Paulus, Elliot Williams, Jon Scheyer, Gerald Henderson, and Kyle Singler. Equally effective in the half-court set or in transition, scoring is not a problem for these marksmen. And in terms of perimeter defense, Purdue may be their only competition. It would also be difficult to find a more intelligent group of basketball players. And while some of them are limited athletically, a Smith-Williams-Henderson-Singler lineup is going to hold its own against anyone.

Why They Can't: Absolutely no post presence. Singler lines up at the four, but he plays like a three. He's all finesse and angles. And while Singler can block the occasional shot, post scorers with size and explosion wreak havoc on Duke's vanilla frontline defenders. And on offense, Coach K has no one to pound the ball into when the shots aren't falling.

Memphis

Why They Can Win It All: It's time we stop doubting John Calipari's program and start realizing that Memphis puts high-quality product on the floor every year. The names may be different, but the results are the same. The nation's most talented freshman piloting a Memphis squad that is angling for a one seed. Sound familiar? And like Derrick Rose last year, Tyreke Evans is far from a one-man show. Senior Antonio Anderson and Robert Dozier are back after briefly flirting with turning pro after last year's runner-up finish. Shawn Taggart starts at the five, and he's actually more reliable and versatile on offense than his predecessor, Joey Dorsey. Doneal Mack may not be Chris Douglas-Roberts, but he's proven to be an instinctual scorer in his own right.

Why They Can't: Beating up on the wasteland that is Conference-USA basketball doesn't prepare a team for March Madness. Memphis may be confident, but most teams would be emboldened beating up on the Marshalls and Southern Misses of the world.

Villanova

Why They Can Win It All: Jay Wright has four guys capable of creating their own shot – combo guards Scottie Reynolds and Corey Fisher, wing Corey Stokes, and power forward Dante Cunningham. In terms of sheer offensive versatility, few teams can match Villanova. College basketball is a guard's game, and Villanova has three that can take over a game. Plus, their best player may be Cunningham, giving them a true post threat.

Why They Can't: Scoring has never been the problem for Jay Wright's teams, and, even though this year's version of Wildcats' guard-heavy lineup is better on the defensive end than in years past, it's still nowhere near national champion-caliber defense. Sure, the Big East is tough, but why would anyone expect a team that could finish no better than fourth in their own conference to win the National Championship?

Luke Winn Unearths Club Trillion

Luke Winn is quickly becoming one of my favorite sportswriters. Winn has an undeniable penchant for identifying and expounding upon the absurdities found in the world of college basketball. In the most recent issue of Sports Illustrated, Winn penned an article about Louisville's Terrence Williams, which included a variety of T-Will tidbits. My personal favorites: that T-Will wore a Barbi backpack in high school to be different and that, in his high school lunchroom, he would tell classmates, "You've got to come strong to your mouth," before knocking sandwiches out of their hands. After discussing the article with a good friend of mine who is a Louisville native, he informed me that he saw T-Will in Louisville recently wearing a jacket with a spray-painted image of his own face on it. Needless to say, all of this is awesome.

Back to Winn. Winn's most recent contribution to SI.com is an article entitled "Fifty Thoughts on Selection Sunday." You can read it here. The entire article is worth reading, but what really grabbed my attention is Winn's endorsement of Club Trillion as the nation's hottest tournament blog. Club Trillion: Life Views from the End of the Bench is the brainchild (if you can call it that) of Ohio State reserve Mark Titus. Titus' blog is quite amusing, and I highly recommend this entry in which Titus tries to determine who is the whitest Buckeye and why. Ultimately, Titus determines that he, in fact, is the whitest team member -- though he adds that, if Evan Turner was not black, he would be the whitest because he wears scarves and listens to John Mayer. Titus' analysis is thorough, as he provides a link to a photo of a shirt worn by a player during a formal outing that disqualifies him from consideration, discusses the lack of Dale Earnhardt tattoos on one of his teammates, and includes a confusing reference to Grandma Winslow's back hair (the old lady from the Urkel show).

The Bubble Picture

Here's my take on the bubble heading into Selection Sunday.

My Last 6 In:

Auburn
-Auburn went 10-6 in conference. Yes, it was a down year in the SEC. Still, are you really going to put 9-9 Big Ten teams in over a 10-6 SEC squad? My guess is that, yes, in fact, that is exactly what the Committee will do.

South Carolina
-The same analysis applies to South Carolina. Auburn may sneak in, but I think the Committee will leave the Gamecocks out.

Texas A&M
-A&M went 9-7 in the Big 12 and finished strong. The only reason I have them this far down is the Aggies' loss to lowly Texas Tech in the Big 12 tourney. I think A&M is a lock at this point.

Penn State
-Penn State deserves the nod over both Michigan and Minnesota based on the Nittany Lions' 10-8 conference record. While they split with both Michigan and Minnesota, PSU boasts wins over both Michigan State and Purdue. Plus, they swept Illinois.

San Diego State
-I believe there is a clear line of demarcation between Penn State and San Diego State. Penn State and above deserve to get in, and, if they don't, they have a right to be angry. From San Diego State and below, however, I can see the arguments for all sides. As for the Aztecs, they finished in fourth place in the Mountain West, though only one game out of a tie for first. They also beat UNLV three times and made it to their conference tourney championship game before falling to Utah by two. Steve Fisher of Fab Five fame may be dancing once again.

Saint Mary's
-SMC just gets my last at-large bid. While I'm not sure Patty Mills has fully recovered from his hand injury, the Gaels have put together a nice season. While SMC lost to conference rival Gonzaga three times, they have wins over Kansas State and fellow bubble-dwellers San Diego State and Providence.

*Note: If Mississippi State upsets Tennessee tomorrow, there will be one less at-large bid. In that case, Saint Mary's will be NIT-bound, and San Diego State will be headed to the Dance as my last at-large bid (despite the Aztecs head-to-head loss to the Gaels. However, I reserve the right to revisit the SMC versus SDSt debate prior to the Selection Show.

My First 7 Out:

Michigan
-Michigan has non-conference wins over both Duke and UCLA. While these feats are impressive, some perspective may be in order. Michigan had two shots at Duke, and won once. And the 08-09 version of UCLA is not as talented as Bruins squads in years past. Michigan did sweep Minnesota in Big Ten play and, so, will most likely get the nod over the Gophers if it comes down to those two. I just can't get past Michigan's .500 conference record (even in a deep Big Ten conference).

Minnesota
-I actually think Minnesota is a better team than Michigan and a number of the other bubble-dwellers. Unfortunately, I think the Gophers' profile comes up just short of an at-large bid. With the exception of their win over Louisville, their non-conference resume is pretty empty. They played well in conference but got swept by Michigan and finished 9-9. I won't be shocked if they get in, but they don't have much to be upset about if they get left out.

Providence
-Before the season started, I'm pretty sure no one thought it possible that a team could finish 10-8 in Big East play and not make the tourney. Well, that's what we're looking at with the Friars. Providence's non-conference schedule was soft and unimpressive. They have wins over Pitt and Syracuse (and they swept Cincy), but their conference record was inflated by wins over the Big East's least talented teams.

New Mexico
-Steve Alford's club finished in a three-way tie for the Mountain West regular season title. Unfortunately for the Lobos, they have some bad non-conference losses and got knocked out of their conference tourney by Wyoming.

Arizona
-I actually won't be too upset if the Wildcats get a bid. The Wildcats have a nice profile in terms of non-conference wins (San Diego State, Gonzaga, and Kansas), but their conference play was lackluster (9-9 in an average Pac-10). With USC giving the Pac-10 a fifth representative, Arizona's bubble may have burst.

Florida
-The Gators have a ton of talent, and they finished with a winning record in conference play. However, there's no way the SEC gets five bids (and that's even if Mississippi State wins tomorrow and the conference deserves five bids), and Florida is clearly fifth in terms of SEC pecking order at this point.

Creighton
-Yes, Creighton finished the season winning 11 of their last 12, but that one loss really gets me -- a 73-49 defeat at the hands of Illinois State in the Missouri Valley tourney. Plus, with the exception of a win over Dayton, the Bluejays don't have much in terms of non-conference resume.

*Note: The above teams are really the only ones that I believe deserve serious consideration.

Mistake the Selection Committee is Destined to Make:

Maryland
-If Maryland gets in, something is seriously wrong. The Terps finished 7-9 in conference play. I have trouble imagining a scenario where a team that finishes below .500 in conference play deserves to play for the national championship. Gary Williams' squad has non-conference wins over Michigan and Michigan State, but they also lost to Morgan State, Gonzaga by 22, and Georgetown by 27. In ACC play, the Terps beat UNC in February and Wake during the conference tourney. They closed out their regular season losing to Virginia. Against the ACC's top six teams (the one's with winning records in conference play), the Terps are 2-8 (and that's including their conference tourney win over Wake). This is not a tournament team. It blows my mind that they are even getting consideration. That being said, expect the Selection Committee to give Maryland an at-large bid.